REVEALED: Full list of 260 firms 'named and shamed' for failing to pay staff minimum wage

Sports Direct and Primark are among 260 employers to have been named and shamed by the Government for failing to pay workers the national minimum wage.

Sports Direct and two recruitment agencies which supplied staff to the retail giant are among 260 employers "named and shamed" by the Government for failing to pay workers the national minimum wage.

A total of £1.7 million in back pay was identified for 16,000 workers, with retail, hairdressing and hospitality businesses the most prolific offenders.

Failing to pay workers for travelling between jobs, not paying overtime, and deducting money for uniforms were the main reasons for the under-payment.

Sports Direct was said to have failed to pay £167,000 to 383 workers, which the company said related to an issue in its warehouse, widely publicised last year.

The Best Connection group failed to pay the most of any of the companies named - almost £470,000 to 2,558 workers - while Qualitycourse Ltd, trading as Transline Group, failed to pay £310,000 to 1,421, the Business Department said.

A Sports Direct spokesman said: "This matter relates to the historical situation in our warehouse that was widely publicised in 2016, for which we apologised at the time.

"We co-operated fully with HMRC to make back payments to Sports Direct staff who were affected.

"We are committed to treating all our people with dignity and respect, and we pay above the national minimum wage."

Other employers on the list included Primark Stores in Reading, Motherwell Football Club and Bristol Rovers FC.

Business minister Margot James said: "There is no excuse for not paying staff the wages they're entitled to and the Government will come down hard on businesses that break the rules.

"That's why today we are naming hundreds of employers who have been short changing their workers; and to ensure there are consequences for their wallets as well as their reputation, we've levied millions in back pay and fines."

The 260 employers named today are:

The Best Connection Group Limited, Bromsgrove B61, failed to pay £469,273.83 to 2558 workers.